Airport Drop Off and Pick Up Charges A Rising Trend across Great Britain (Will it come to North America???) Developed by Emma J. Nix under the Direction of Ray A. Mundy August 2015
The Rise of UK Airport Drop Off Charges Drop off charges require vehicles to pay to unload passengers in a designated area. Began in 2007 with Birmingham Airport. 14 airports across Britain have now adopted this policy. Pricing schedules vary by airport. 8 airports offer a free window, but impose a charge thereafter.
Examples of Airport Drop Off Pricing Schedules Flat Rate for given time period, with fine thereafter: Aberdeen Airport London Luton Airport 1 for 10 minutes 2 for 15 minutes Increasing Pricing Schedule: Edinburgh Airport London Stansted Airport 1 for 0-5 minutes; 3 for 5-10 minutes; 5 for 10-20 minutes; 7 for 20-60 minutes 2 for 10 minutes; 2 every minute thereafter ** 1 British Pound is equal to 1.54 U.S. Dollars (July 8, 2015)
Many airports charge for pick up as well Prices may be different from drop off charge. Pick up zone may be in a different location than drop off zone. More airports charge to pick up passengers than to drop off. Example of airports that charge to pick up, but not to drop off: London Heathrow Airport Manchester Airport 3.50 for 30 minutes; 6.50 for 30-60 minutes 2.90 for 30 minutes
British Airport with a Drop off and pick up charge Drop off charge only Pick up charge only
How It Works License plate recognition system records when a vehicle enters the drop off zone. Allows traffic to flow naturally into the zone. Appropriate charge is given to vehicle upon exit. Fines are awarded for: Exceeding time limits. Dropping passengers in unauthorized areas. Free drop off is often still available at car parks located farther away.
Benefits of Drop Off Charge Airports give similar justifications for the charge: 1. Reduce Congestion, 2. Improve Air Quality, 3. Provide a Safer Drop Off Zone, 4. Encourages Public Transport, 5. Offset operating costs. However, no airports publically disclose the revenue they make from the scheme.
Civil Aviation Authority Data The CAA conducts surveys on various British airports every year. Asks about modal choice to arrive at the airport. Assumes people arrive and depart from the airport using the same mode. Using most recent data, an estimate can be calculated for total revenues. Upper bound estimate because it assumes all vehicles go through drop zone rather than free alternative lots.
Airport Total Terminating Passengers (000 s) Dropped Off in Private Vehicle (%) Drop Off Charge Approximate Drop Off Revenue Stansted 17,051 21 2.00 3,580,710.00 Luton 9,399 28 2.00 2,631,720.00 Edinburg 9,578 25 1.00 1,197,250.00 Birmingham 8,656 25 1.00 1,082,000.00 East Midlands 4,262 35 1.00 745,850.00 Bristol 5,805* 24 1.00 696,600.00 Aberdeen 2,529 29 1.00 366,705.00 Gatwick 32,306 16 0 0 Glasgow 6,860 36 0 0 Heathrow 45,563 15 0 0 *All Manchester terminating passenger figures 19,786come from the 2013 29 CAA survey, 0 except Bristol, 0 where the most recent estimate is on the 2012 survey. As terminating passenger represents any non-connecting passenger who arrives to or departs from the airport, the figure is divided in half to calculate revenue from drop off charges.
Airport Total Terminating Passengers (000 s) Dropped Off in Private Vehicle (%) Pick Up Charge Approximate Pick Up Revenue Heathrow 45,563 15 3.50 11,960,287.50 Manchester 19,786 29 2.90 8,320,013.00 Gatwick 32,306 16 3.00 7,753,440.00 Edinburgh 9,578 25 3.00 3,591,750.00 Luton 9,399 28 2.00 2,631,720.00 Glasgow 6,860 36 1.50 1,852,200.00 East Midlands 4,262 35 2.40 1,790,040.00 Birmingham 8,656 25 1.00 1,082,000.00 Bristol 5,805 24 1.00 696,600.00 Aberdeen 2,529 29 1.00 366,705.00 Stansted 17,051 21 0 0 Assumes passengers arrive and depart from airport using same mode of transport.
Possible Charges in the United States? The US does not currently have drop off or pick up charging schemes. Using available airport data on: Number of non-connecting passengers, Percent of passengers dropped-off. Potential revenues can be estimated for several major airports in the US.
Airport Total Annual Passengers (2013) Non-Connecting Passengers (%) Dropped Off (%) Estimated Upper Bound Revenues LAX 66,702,252 62 37 $ 15,301,496.61 Miami 40,563,071 55 45 $ 10,039,360.07 Atlanta 94,430,785 35 25 $ 8,262,693.69 JFK 50,423,765 65 25 $ 8,095,535.47 Boston Logan 30,236,200 90 28 $ 7,619,522.40 Newark 35,016,236 60 35 $ 7,224,199.65 O'Hare 66,883,271 45 22 $ 6,621,443.83 Portland 15,029,196 85 36 $ 4,598,933.98 Midway 20,491,422 73 27 $ 4,038,859.28 San Jose 8,783,319 91 49 $ 3,916,481.94 LaGuardia 26,722,183 78 19 $ 3,892,700.56 Oakland 9,742,887 95 42 $ 3,887,411.91 **Using $1 drop off and $1 pick up charge for first 10 minutes, then escalating Assumes departing and arriving passengers use same modes of transport.
Assume $1 drop off and $1 pick up charge, and a 50-50 split of passengers arriving and departing airport.
Reaction to Drop Off Charge Public response has been generally negative: Outrageous and a Rip off; another example of airports nickel and diming customers, Signage is not always clear. Alternative drop off areas are inconvenient: Heavy luggage, Long wait times, Bad weather, Free lots often have strict time limit.
Effects on Taxi Industry Unless the ride was schedule ahead of time, drivers did not initially have a way to transfer charge on to customers. A 1-2 charge could produce as much as a 10% loss in profit for taxis making frequent airport trips Legislation has since been passed which allows taxi drivers to transfer charge. Self-employed drivers are the most affected.
Effects of the Charge Data is so far inconclusive: May create a safety hazard as drivers rush through the zone to avoid steeper charges. No observed increase or decrease in public transport use after imposing the charge. Environmental benefit would be small compared to total airport emissions. Yet, airports are profiting from the charge.
Future of Drop Off Charges The continued adoption of the practice suggests that drop off charges are here to stay in Great Britain. Generates revenue benefits. Few negative consequences on airport use. Will it come to the United States? Perhaps. As revenue benefits are further realized, the likelihood that airports outside of the UK will adopt the practice increases.